The Miraculous School Play
by Ciitadel
Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir, the heroes of Paris. They have made such an impression on their beloved city, that Marinette and Adrien's school is hosting a play in their honor! With Alya and Nino being the heads of the play, Marinette and Adrien are wrangled into trying out for themselves! Will people notice the similarities between them and the heroes? Will they notice the similarities?
1. Chapter 1

Thank you for the idea lady-noir-fanfics on tumblr!

"And finally the school play for this season will be…" The teacher paused for dramatic effect. "Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Marinette bolted upright at that, her mid-afternoon daze burning away instantly.

"Anyone who wants to try out can do so tomorrow after school. If you want more details you can speak with Nino our director, or Alya the producer. I encourage everyone who is interested to participate in some way as this is the first time this play is being performed anywhere. Thank you and have a good rest of your day." Everyone instantly stood up and began to walk out, and Marinette glanced at Alya, who was smiling.

"You didn't tell me that was what the play was!" She hissed at her.

"Whoa, chill girl, I wasn't allowed to speak about it till the actual announcement. Plus, you didn't even ask, why? You wanna try out? You totally should." Alya replied laughing.

"Ha! Me in a play? Yeah I can just imagine falling flat on my face as soon as I make my entrance, you know how clumsy I am."

"Believe me, I know that. But I think it'd be fun and a way for you to be a little more outgoing. Maybe it'll boost your confidence a bit? Also, what if Adrien tries out? Will you be interested then?" Alya made mocking lovey-dovey eyes at her. Marinette frowned in return.

"I doubt that's the way for me to boost my confidence." She muttered. Alya sighed and turned her attention to Nino and Adrien sitting below them.

"So Adrien, you gonna try out for the play?" Adrien turned around, startled by Alya's interruption. His eyes widened a bit, as if caught off guard by the question, but he quickly resumed his composure.

"Maybe, but I don't even know what part I'd try out for." He said, leaning over to put his books in his bag.

"What about Chat Noir?" He bolted upright at this.

"Why would I, um, try out for him? We're nothing alike from what I can tell."

"You kinda look like him. You know, with the blonde hair and green eyes? Don't you think so Marinette?" He was turned around and facing both of them, and Marinette's face turned bright red when Adrien glanced at her.

"Oh, um, yeah, kinda? I mean you, like, are so better, um, totally…" Marinette trailed off and slowly slid down in her chair, frustrated with her inability to talk to him. He looked at her obviously confused, but shrugged it off and turned his attention back to Alya.

"See? She agrees! Come on Adrien, at least try out?" Alya pleaded.

"Yeah bro! You totally should!" Nino joined in. Adrien glanced towards Marinette again, who was slowly trying to sink into the floor.

"Marinette, are you trying out?" Her eyes widened now and although she thought it was impossible, she blushed even deeper.

"Um, no I don't think so?" She stammered.

"Why not? I think you should! I bet you'd be great." His smile was blinding her.

"Yeah totally Marinette! Imagine if you two were Ladybug and Chat Noir! That would be totally rad dude!" Nino chimed in. Adrien and Marinette both gasped at that, but recovered quickly.

"Oh me as Ladybug? No way!" She said too casually. Suddenly, an idea seemed to light up Adrien's eyes.

"I'll try out if you try out Marinette!" He suggested.

"Girl now you have to try out, please don't deprive this production of one of the best actors in the class!" Alya said, backing her into an invisible emotional wall.

"Fine I'll try out!" She huffed. Alya and Nino did a little cheer, and Adrien smiled at her again.

"Cool, see you tomorrow then!" The boys got up and walked away, and Marinette turned to Alya with an angry frown.

"Ok, I'm sorry I did that to you but now think about it! You could be starring in the play with _Adrien!_ I just did you a huge favor."

"I haven't been casted yet. And whose to say I would star in it?"

"Oh come on! You'd be the perfect Ladybug! You both have a great moral compass!"

"Well thank you but I'm not nearly as brave or confident as her. I could barely speak to Adrien just now! And he's been to my house before! Will I ever be able to act normal around him?"

"Don't worry girl, one of these days you'll relax. Now I gotta go, I'm watching my younger sisters while my parents go on date night!" Alya said, grabbing her bag and leaving. Marinette made her way home quickly and after greeting her parents, flopped on her bed groaning loudly.

She didn't know why she had agreed to try out for the play, she should've made up an excuse involving the bakery or something. If by some miracle she _did_ get cast as Ladybug, that would be a huge risk to her secret identity. Especially if while in the costume people began to notice the similarities in their appearances. But then again, she'd get to act alongside Adrien. With his amazing acting skills that she knew she had from that time with the Horrificator, he'd be cast as Chat Noir for sure. She giggled to herself, trying to imagine him saying all the puns Chat says and dressed up in the costume. It was so unlike him she couldn't even picture it.

"What are you going to do Marinette?" Tikki asked in her high-pitched voice, floating out of her bag.

"I don't know Tikki, I'm not sure how big of a risk this is."

"Well, people could just put it off as a coincidence. Especially if you try your best to act nothing like Ladybug, then no one will suspect a thing!" The little red kwami suggested.

"That might work, thanks Tikki. I need to do my homework now, wanna help me with history?"

"Isn't that cheating since I was there?"

"Noooo… you're more like a resource." Marinette had been utilizing Tikki's knowledge of history to her advantage lately. Tikki sighed and agreed and the two got to work. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my god Plagg what did I just do!?" Adrien said as soon as he got in his room.

"You did something stupid that's what." The little black cat said, his mouth stuffed with cheese.

"Why did I do that? If I get the part of Chat Noir and people realize how much we look alike… oh no this isn't good!"

"Hey, look at the bright side. You might be playing opposite of Marinetteeeeee!" Plagg said, teasing Adrien.

"Or I might be playing opposite Chloe! Ugh!" He shuddered at the thought.

"I'm pretty sure that no one's gonna want that since the whole Antibug thing went down. Plus you know you act a lot different from Chat at school, so I doubt anyone would be the slighest bit suspicious." Adrien breathed a sigh of relief at his tiny friend's knowledge.

"You're right, I'm a different person practically! No one will suspect a thing… I hope. Wait why am I worrying? I haven't even gotten the part yet. If I'm lucky I'll just be the extra in the back." He knew that wouldn't happen, but he was just comforting himself. "Anyway, Plagg make sure you eat up. We have patrol tonight with Ladybug." Plagg nodded and Adrien flopped on his bed and contemplated the risks of what he'd done.

Plagg was right in that there was a low chance of people realizing his alter ego, he just would have to try to not make so many puns. Even though he loved making puns. It would make for a good laugh to tell Ladybug after it was over, she would probably find it hilarious picturing him being all dressed up and trying to act normal. But would she be jealous that he would play opposite another Ladybug? Adrien hoped she wouldn't. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't care. No matter how much he showed his affections, she never returned them much to his disappointment. She was too amazing to deal with that, like a strong beautiful goddess who couldn't be caught in mortal affairs. Even though she had unwittingly captured a mortal heart.

Adrien sighed audibly and realized he was wallowing in self-pity again, as seemed to be the case as of late. Everytime he saw Ladybug, he was reminded that she would never feel the same way about him. He loved her completely and she didn't even need him as a sidekick! She could handle herself much more than she let on, as he had realized after the Puppeteering incident. She had taken down four akumatized villains (and himself for that matter) all by herself! She was so amazing in every single way, Adrien felt like he was just dead weight sometimes. But he had to remind himself, he had saved her on several occasions, and was a useful asset to the team. Yet it was beginning to feel less and less true as time went on…

Ladybug leaped over rooftops in the cool Parisian night to meet up with her partner. She landed at their usual meeting spot and saw he was not there yet, which was unusual for him. She stood tapping her foot for a moment, trying to reassure herself that it was okay but couldn't deny the nervousness she felt even though it hadn't even been a minute. Ladybug couldn't help it, Chat Noir was her most trusted friend and partner, and even the slightest thought of not having him around made her terrified. Now she did deny his (probably false) romantic advances as she always thought she didn't feel anything for the smug kitty, but lately that was seeming to be a bit less true. She now found herself staring at him, longing to know the boy behind the mask. Of course, Adrien still held the key to her heart (without his knowledge), but perhaps one day it would unlock on its own.

Right when she was getting more worried, a voice pierced the shadows behind her.

"Why you look purr-fect as ever my Lady." She turned around and jokingly frowned at the pun. His puns were both an amusement and an annoyance to her. Mostly an annoyance. "Oh don't give me cat-titude! You know my puns are paw-sitively claw-some!"

"Oh my god you just made four cat puns in less than thirty seconds. That's gotta be a record." She said, face palming herself. Chat laughed and strolled up beside her, looking out at the view of the city.

"Well I hold records for many things so it wouldn't be too surprising." He said in his usual Chat Noir manner.

"Oh really? What records would those be? Most annoying cat ever?" Ladybug replied.

"Ouch, you hurt my heart bugaboo! You know I could never be annoying to you!"

"Yeah you're right about that, if you were annoying I wouldn't have kept you around so long!" She said jokingly. They both laughed and Ladybug realized this was one of the things she enjoyed most about her relationship with Chat. The playful banter between them was always entertaining and brought out a lighter side in her.

"So my Lady, have you seen anything suspicious so far on this beautiful Parisian night?"

"No Kitty, nothing so far. I was worried about you though, you're normally the first one here so when you didn't show up…" She blushed when she realized how ridiculous that sounded.

"Sorry, I caught up in something so I left a little later than usual. I didn't mean to make you worry." He looked genuinely distressed at having upsetted her, and that made Ladybug feel guilty for telling him.

"It's fine really, I'm sorry I'm just paranoid sometimes."

"No need to apologize. Being paranoid is a good thing when you're a superhero." She smiled at his kindness.

"Yeah… it is. Anyway shall we go along our usual route?" She asked. He nodded and the two made their way around the city, not seeing any sign of any evil-doing whatsoever. There had been an akuma attack this last week, so they didn't expect to see any new akuma's. It was really more just a time of relaxation for both of them. Just being in each other's company and going around the city was all they needed that night. It put both their minds at ease about the play, both reassuring themselves that nothing could go wrong. Too quickly though, they had made their rounds and it was becoming late. Their time was dwindling, but neither wanted to go.

"I… guess that's the whole city then." Ladybug said dejectedly, savoring the calming routine.

"Yeah… guess so." Chat was upset also, but then an idea struck him to stick around a little while longer. "Say… how are you doing LB? We never seem to ask each other that, obviously we don't have to specify details but still I think as a team we should know how the other is…" He became embarrassed at how corny it sounded. But much to his relief, she smiled.

"You're right, we should be asking each other that more." She paused. "I'm doing okay."

"Just okay? That's doesn't sound good."

"Well… I've just been stressed with a lot of things. My schoolwork, my relationships, being Ladybug… It's just hard to balance with keeping a secret identity, you know?"

"Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I have a lot of extracurricular activities that my father makes me do as well as working for him, so I very rarely have time to myself. It sucks, I wish I could just do what I want."

"No offense, but your father doesn't sound very nice."

"No offense taken, it's kinda the truth, but not in the way you think. It's not that he goes out of his way to make my life miserable, he just doesn't care. He sees me more as an employee than a son, so I see him more like a boss than a father." Ladybug felt deep sympathy for her friend, and gratitude for her own parents. They sat down, their feet hanging over the edge of the roof, and she rubbed his back with her hand comfortingly. He seemed to relax greatly at her touch.

"I'm sorry Chat, that sounds awful to have to live with." She kept her hand on his back, and he seemed to get a little closer.

"What about your parents? Are they nice?" His question was earnest and she was reminded again of how kind he was.

"I'm very lucky to have my parents. They're always so supportive of anything I want to do."

"That must be nice, they don't know about…?"

"Oh no! They could never know about me being Ladybug! I feel awful for lying to them but then they would worry about me way too much. I can never tell them…" Chat reached over and placed his hand on her back as well, and the two scooched closer together.

"It really sucks to have to keep this secret, huh?" He asked her.

"Honestly, it does. But I wouldn't give up being Ladybug for anything." Chat looked at her, surprised by this.

"You wouldn't?"

"No of course not! If I'd never become Ladybug I wouldn't have been able to help so many or give people hope… And I never would've met you." This surprised him even more.

"I wouldn't give up meeting you for the world." He said softly, keeping his eyes focused on the Paris skyline. He felt her gaze on his face, and turned towards her. She was staring at him with a mixture of sadness and surprise at his sincerity.

"Do you mean that?" She asked, her voice uncertain.

"Ladybug, haven't I always been forthright about my feelings towards you?" He said, all trace of sarcasm or joking gone. Her eyes widened at this realization, how had she not realized this before?

"I thought you just acted like that with everyone…" She said, feeling stupid.

"No, no I don't." Chat didn't know why he was being so honest now, perhaps it had been the back rubbing or just the feeling that someone truly cared how he was.

"I'm sorry for being so dumb Kitty…" She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You never need to apologize to me my Lady." They both looked at each other, realizing the proximity of each other's faces. It seemed natural when Ladybug started leaning towards his face, like she had done it hundreds of times before. She probably had, she made a mental note to ask Tikki about the past Ladybug's later. But right before their lips could meet, a familiar beeping noise brought them both back to reality. It was her Miraculous, she would de-transform soon.

"I need to go, I'm sorry." She said, getting up immediately.

"No, wait. Please, you know I wouldn't tell a living soul who you were. I'd tell you who I am as well, we could know each other in our normal lives." It was a tempting offer, especially in this situation, but Ladybug knew she wasn't ready.

"I'm sorry, I'm not ready to do that yet." Leaving a heartbroken looking Chat Noir, she yo-yoed away and back to her normal life.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette woke up the next morning, and quickly remembered the previous night's events. She didn't want to believe it, but she had almost kissed Chat Noir! She didn't know what had come over her, but she remembered his raw emotion and how awful she felt for not realizing he was being sincere sooner. Then almost as if on instinct, she had leaned into kiss him! Her! Making the first move! And with Chat Noir of all people, it was just so unlike her. But then again she wasn't Marinette, she was Ladybug.

She glanced at the clock and realized she had overslept. Leaping out of bed she got dressed quickly and grabbed a croissant from the bakery on her way out the door. She arrived with only seconds to spare, and sat down next to Alya, who giggled when she saw her disheveled appearance.

"You woke up late again?"

"Yep, I know I know, I need to go to bed earlier." She glanced down at the blonde boy sitting in front of her, and noticed Adrien seemed to be in a forlorn mood. His head was hanging low, and he wasn't concentrating on the lesson.

"Is he okay?" Marinette whispered to Alya. She shrugged in response.

"He'll probably cheer up by the time auditions roll around today." Alya said. Marinette groaned, having forgotten all about the play. The rest of the school day passed by quickly, and Alya was right. Adrien did seem to cheer up as time went on, much to Marinette's own joy. But soon, it was time for what Marinette was dreading, the auditions.

The teacher released them but the majority of the class stayed behind for the auditions. Chloe began boasting as soon as the teacher left.

"Oh I just know I'm going to get the roll of Ladybug. Who else is more perfect to play her than I?" She flipped her hair and Sabrina smiled at her. Marinette glared at her but was surprised when Adrien shot a glare at her.

"Don't you think you've pretended to be Ladybug enough times?" Her normally perfect complexion blanched at the hidden meaning behind the words, and she actually stopped talking for once. Alya and Nino took this moment to step down to the front and begin auditions.

"Hello everyone, thank you all for coming and auditioning for The Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Alya announced, everyone applauded like it was the actual show. "Now we will all hand you a monologue that you must perform. After viewing all those we will pick those we think are suitable candidates for our starring leads, and have those actors perform a scene together. Those who do not get picked shouldn't fret, we have other roles as well. Any questions?" Silence greeted her. "Okay great, so let's get started!"

The monologues were handed out, and Marinette was relieved to see it was a simple sample monologue, and not something Ladybug had actually said. Everyone went up, and each one had their perks and downfalls. Rose was so sweet but too quiet, Kim didn't know when to be serious or joking. Mylene didn't express enough confidence, and Ivan continuously flubbed up the words. Chloe didn't convey any sort of emotion except snobbiness throughout the entire thing. But then it was Adrien's turn. Marinette was surprised how natural he sounded, even though he had already proven his acting skills before. He even got an applause at the end. Then lastly, it was Marinette's turn.

Hands shaking, she walked up to the front and took a deep breath, calming herself. She unknowingly put on an aura of Ladybug, and was able to deliver her lines with confidence and pride. She got an applause as well, and blushed when she noticed Adrien was one of the ones clapping. She was happy with herself, and started wanting to get the role. She figured no one would ever suspect shy Marinette could be Ladybug, so she decided to try as hard as she could for it.

Nino and Alya dutifully took notes and went into another room to deliberate. In the meantime, Adrien turned around to speak to Marinette, much to her surprise.

"Great job down there! I told you you'd do good, you're a great actress!" She blushed fiercely at the praise.

"Thanks- and um you did amazing out there!" He seemed surprised at the compliment and smiled his beautiful smile again. Marinette was relieved when he turned away. Right then, Alya and Nino walked back in.

"We have deliberated and have decided who we want to see for partner scenes. These will be done in a different room. Can I please have Mylene, Adrien, Ivan, and Marinette join us?" Marinette's eyes widened in surprise and Adrien turned around to beam at her once more. Chloe was outraged.

"WHAT?! No way! I should be considered for the starring role! I should be Ladybug!" She declared.

"Oh you're totally being considered for a star role alright. You're being considered for the akumatized villain!" Nino said. She let out a shriek of rage as everyone laughed and stomped out of the room, followed by her lackey Sabrina. Once that drama was out of the way, the group called went down and followed Alya and Nino into the same room they had deliberated in.

"Great job dudes! You guys all had the best performances! So now we will pair you up and have you perform the partner scene, which is an actual transcript from a recording of Ladybug and Chat Noir, courtesy of the amazing Alya! Totally awesome right?! Our pairings are Adrien and Marinette and Mylene and Ivan. Here are the scripts." Nino said. Marinette began blushing yet again when she heard she was paired with Adrien, but was also startled that she had to perform something she actually said. She immediately recognized it and saw it was from a day several months ago when they had been working out a strategy to defeat another villain. Adrien and her went over the lines together, and she was surprised how natural it felt. She didn't stammer when acting to him, and was able to not deepen the red in her cheeks! She already felt amazing and they hadn't even performed yet.

Mylene and Ivan went first and the same thing happened. Mylene did great but she didn't exude the confidence Ladybug had, and Ivan still messed up his words, but not as much because of the kind looks Mylene kept giving him. It was over in minutes, and Marinette's heart pounded as it was their turn to perform. Alya said action and the scene began, and Ladybug's confidence radiated within Marinette suddenly.

"I think the akuma is hiding in her bracelet," Marinette said.

"Yeah that seems right, how do you propose we get it?" Marinette was taken off guard by Adrien's suddenly spot-on impression of Chat Noir, he even lilted his voice the same way.

"I think we should sneak up behind her and jump through the skylight. You distract her and I'll try to grab the bracelet. If that fails, use Cataclysm on the pillar she's standing on." She realized she was speaking just like Ladybug, and Adrien was looking at her with confusion and surprise.

"Sounds like a great plan m'Lady," Adrien said in the perfect Chat voice, even tipping an imaginary hat as Chat tended to do.

"Let's go!" She said and the scene ended. The four others in the room immediately erupted into cheers. Marinette blushed and the duo bowed.

"Oh my god that was amazing! If I'd been blindfolded I would've sworn that was the actual Ladybug and Chat Noir speaking! I think we all agree that you are now our leading roles!" Alya said, hugging Marinette. Mylene and Ivan didn't seem upset, they were congratulating them as well. They walked back out to the group and the room cheered when it was announced, and Marinette felt very happy.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days were a blur of getting measurements taken for costumes, helping Alya with the script, and starting on set design. Luckily enough, no more akuma's showed up so Marinette was able to avoid Chat Noir for a little longer, still feeling awkward about their almost kiss. Soon the script was finished and it was time to try the costumes on and start learning and rehearsing the lines.

In the dressing room, Marinette was surprised that the costume fit just as perfectly as her real one. It confused her for a second when she saw herself as Ladybug but with Tikki right beside her. She looked to her kwami, suddenly fearing she looked a little _too_ much like Ladybug.

"Don't worry, everyone already knows you have the same hair and they haven't figured it out from that have they? No one is going to look at you and go 'she's the actual Ladybug!'. If you're really worried, just pretend to be really bad with the yo-yo." Marinette smiled, grateful for her little friend. Then a knock at the dressing room door startled her.

"Hello? Marinette? Taking your sweet time I see?" It was Alya.

"Sorry, coming right now!" She stepped outside and Alya gasped when she saw her. Marinette's heart started pounding with anxiety.

"You… you look just like Ladybug! That is so awesome!" She breathed a subtle sigh of relief. Suddenly across from her room she heard the click of a door, and almost jumped when she saw Chat Noir standing there. She gaped like a fish, wondering why he was here and he gaped right back at her, until Alya began talking.

"Oh wow Adrien you look just like Chat! That is amazing, both of you resemble our favorite heroes so much, I never noticed it before! You guys will be the best cosplayers in all of Paris! Now hurry up and be on the stage in two minutes!" She said walking away. At her words, Marinette realized it was just Adrien, although she would've sworn it was Chat.

"Um, hi you um look good." She stammered. He kept staring at her, as if trying to gather his thoughts. Then he shook himself and spoke.

"Thanks, you um look good also!" He stuttered. For once he was actually being awkward. Marinette wondered why, perhaps her likeness to Ladybug was throwing him off. They both stared at each other for another moment, still comprehending the similarities, and then walked out onto the stage together. Everyone gasped when they walked out and gave them compliments about their similarities to the actual heroes. But to make sure no one was suspicious, Marinette purposefully pretended to be really bad at using the yo-yo. She hit herself on the head several times and hit Adrien once or twice for good measure, blushing and apologizing excessively. Adrien seemed to be in a similar situation, constantly dropping his stick and tripping once or twice when attempting to learn the fight choreography. But the jokes he ad libbed and the tone of his voice was identical to that of Chat Noir, and Marinette wished he let loose like that more often. Several hours later, as the last scene was coming up, Alya handed the revised script for the next scene.

"So next we shall be practicing the romance scene! How exciting!"

"Wait what romance scene?! Chat and Ladybug aren't together!" Marinette exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Yeah I know but I took some artistic liberties for two reasons. 1) It would make the play more interesting, and 2) Can you imagine how cute it would be for Paris's two superheroes to be together?!" Adrien and Marinette both reddened at that. "Here's how it goes, Ladybug and Chat save the day and after almost losing Chat Ladybug realizes her feelings for him and they kiss and it's the end!" Alya seemed pleased with herself. Adrien and Marinette read over the script and Marinette was sweating bullets as the scene went into action.

"Chat! I-I-I thought I'd lost you back there!"

"You'll never lose me, I'm never leaving you my Lady." It sounded so much like something Chat would say but to know it was coming out of Adrien's mouth so sincerely made it all the better.

"You better not, I don't know what I'd do without you!" Marinette tried to pretend she was talking to Chat, and that made it much easier. Her blush lessened a bit.

"And I don't know what I would do without you…" Adrien stepped closer and Marinette leaned into him. She knew it was time for the kiss and now wasn't sure who to pretend it was, so she decided Adrien was less nerve-wracking for once. She looked up into his bright green eyes and leaned in, and the two kissed.

It was a stage kiss, but it felt real for the both of them. It felt natural and right, almost as if they'd done it a thousand times before, similar to what Marinette had felt last night with Chat. Everyone applauded as the curtain came down, and the two separated. They were both blushing as the curtain came back up.

"That… that was beautiful you guys. This play is going to be the best!" Alya said.

"Dudes! Great job guys, that was a totally awesome job, I so could see the real Ladybug and Chat Noir doing that!" Nino added in. Even Chloe, who had ended up accepting her role as the villain, applauded a tiny bit. Adrien and Marinette stayed silent and accepted the praise.

"Amazing job today everybody, I promise the next few rehearsals won't be this long. If we keep this up then we'll have the best play ever! Have a good night and get home safe!" Everyone clapped and packed up, and Marinette walked out after she changed out of the Ladybug costume. As she was leaving, she heard footsteps behind her and turned around to address whatever Alya wanted to discuss this time. She froze though when she saw it was Adrien standing there.

"Hey, I just um wanted to say that you did really well." He stammered.

"Thanks! You did great-awesome-amazing also!" She stuttered in return. Then they both stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

"I um gotta-"

"Me too um see-"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure." And they went on their way.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien was relieved to get in the waiting car where Marinette could no longer see him. He had kissed her! Practically as Chat Noir! And she happened to look just like Ladybug when in the costume, which began to make him slightly suspicious. But then he recalled her failure to use the yo-yo and giggled at the memory. In order to protect his own identity he had purposefully dropped the fake version of his baton several times. When she had walked out of that dressing room though, he would've sworn Ladybug had shown up!

He groaned and leaned back into the soft leather seat, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He had been tempted to lie to himself and pretend he was kissing the actual Ladybug, it took all his willpower to concentrate on the fact that it was Marinette. He didn't want to do that because it was unfair to her, she didn't know he was in love with Ladybug. But it wasn't bad kissing her, in fact it was even pleasant. He had never thought about Marinette like that, but she was so kind, and was the only one willing to stand up to bullies like Chloe. Perhaps if he ever got over Ladybug…

No. He couldn't think like that. She had almost kissed him last night he was sure of it. But then she had run away so quickly. He wasn't sure if it was because she regretted it or because she wanted to actually kiss him. Adrien was hoping it was the latter, but he wasn't confident, and that uncertainty was torturing him. He had always wanted to know who his Lady really was, but the need had faded recently since it seemed an impossibility. Yet the almost kiss had awakened his longing to know the truth.

After that first day rehearsals went quickly. Weeks passed and no villains showed up. Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't speak of the almost kissing incident during their weekly patrols again, and simply avoided spending extra time together after their patrols, much to Chat's discontent. But he and Marinette began talking outside of rehearsal, and her usually panicky demeanor around him seemed to ease when he was in costume for some reason. They quickly became actual friends, and exchanged numbers. Whenever Adrien was in despair over Ladybug again, he would go to Marinette for comfort, and she was always there to cheer him up. She didn't know why he was sad, but didn't push it much to his relief. He had never realized how funny and caring she was, and wished they had began talking sooner. He still didn't know why she would stutter and blush whenever he was around her without his Chat Noir costume on, but he didn't ask why. He just didn't know why he was so intimidating to her, and so several weeks after the play had begun practice, he decided to ask Alya after rehearsal.

"Hey, um Alya, can I ask you something?" He said awkwardly as she packed up her things to leave.

"Sure Adrien, what's up?"

"Well I know you and Marinette are pretty close so I wanted to ask, why does she act so weird around me sometimes? She doesn't get so nervous when I'm in costume, or even when we text, but if I'm not hiding my face it seems she freaks out." Alya stared at him for a moment, dumfounded, and then began laughing which made him even more confused.

"Why are you laughing?" That just made her crack up harder.

"You mean to tell me you don't know?! Oh my god you are just as clueless as her! Maybe it's all the modelling!" Her face was bright red from laughter, and Adrien was getting annoyed.

"No I don't know what you're talking about, I'm sorry for whatever I missed but I don't get what's so funny." She calmed down a bit and took several deep breaths before continuing.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't nice. It just surprised me because I thought everyone knew."

"Knew what?" Alya stared at him uncertainly, not sure how to answer, and then sighed.

"I can't tell you, sorry but it's the rules of best friendship. Marinette would kill me. You can either ask Nino or try to figure it out yourself." She said, picking up her bag and walking away. Frowning, Adrien found Nino walking out the door and pulled him aside, asking him the same question. Nino began laughing in the same manner as Alya.

"Look, I don't know why everyone keeps laughing when I ask that but it's getting annoying."

"Dude! I'm sorry but it's just so funny because you're so oblivious! You mean to tell me there's not one idea in that head of yours bro?" Adrien shook his head and Nino kept laughing. "Marinette has a major crush on you dude!" That took Adrien aback. His eyes widened in surprise.

"What? No way, she doesn't like me!" He said. Why would she like him? They had only recently gotten to know each other.

"Dude, yes she does. She's liked you since the beginning of the year! Everyone in the whole class knew it, I assumed you did too! She wasn't exactly subtle about it." Adrien thought about it and the pieces fell into place. Her nervous demeanor around him and the excessive blushing, he felt like an idiot for not realizing it before. Nino noticed his surprise and stopped laughing.

"Sorry to drop the truth bomb on you like that, I totally thought you knew. But, since you didn't, what do you think? Do you like her at all?" Nino asked, now totally serious. Adrien realized he had never thought about her like that, his thoughts too wrapped up in Ladybug.

"I… I don't know, I've never thought about her in that way." He stammered.

"Well I'll leave you to think about that, I gotta go. Later bro!" Nino said, leaving. After he was gone, Adrien was finally left alone with his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

More time passed and the date of the play's opening night was almost there. The sets were made and painted, the fighting choreography and lines memorized, the hair and makeup being perfected. It was all falling into place like pieces of a puzzle, which of course made Alya a nervous wreck about something going wrong. Marinette tried but failed to reassure her, so eventually she gave up and let Alya freak out about every tiny thing if that made her happy. Her relationship with Adrien was growing every day, she felt more comfortable speaking with him face to face and was actually able to get through a sentence without stuttering! And for some reason, he seemed less confused and more understanding when she became tongue-tied around him, much to her relief and suspicion. When she asked Alya about it, she just smiled and said she didn't tell him anything, which perplexed Marinette even more.

As for Ladybug and Chat Noir, there had been absolutely no akuma attacks for weeks, and the duo was becoming wary. It was odd to go one week without an akuma, let alone several. But there was nothing they could do about it, so they simply kept their guard up and continued their weekly patrols. Besides that, both of them wondered if the other knew about the school that was putting on the 'Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir!' play. Marinette considered bringing it up, but didn't want to because she knew he'd find out what school had the play going on, and would therefore find out what school she went to. For some reason, she had an odd feeling that that would be a key piece in Chat finding out her identity. She still wasn't sure she was ready for him to know, but she kept thinking about that almost kiss. It was like a catchy song, resurfacing at random times. She finally decided to ponder how she felt about Chat.

Ladybug already knew she couldn't live without him, he was her best friend besides Alya. He could always make her laugh and smile, even when she felt too down or tired to do anything. She wanted to know who he was, but she knew she couldn't ask him till she was ready to tell him her identity. It wouldn't be fair to him to tell her his identity without her returning the courtesy.

One night though, only a week away from opening night of the play, she came to an epiphany about her feelings. They had just finished up and were about to go their separate ways again, when Ladybug could no longer handle skirting around the thing that had been bothering both of them for over a month.

"Well if that's all then I guess I shall be going bugaboo…" Chat said, walking away.

"Chat wait!" He turned around and instantly walked back over to her.

"What's wrong my Lady?" He asked. She kept her eyes on the ground, her cheeks beginning to redden.

"We… we need to talk about what happened last month." She said, for once unsure of herself as Ladybug. Chat's eyes widened but then he looked away, clearly still upset.

"What needs to be said about it? We almost kissed and you ran away in disgust." His voice wasn't harsh but just said and forlorn. Ladybug felt so guilty for causing her friend pain.

"No! No that's not why I ran away at all! I ran away because I was afraid. Afraid of my identity being revealed, but also afraid because…" She stopped, finding herself unwilling to say the words.

"Because why?" Chat asked gently. Ladybug took a deep breath before admitting what she had been lying about to herself this whole time.

"Because I do have feelings for you and I didn't realize it before!" She blurted out. Chat took a step closer to her.

"Why does that make you afraid?" She tried to formulate a coherent answer in her head, while sweating bullets with her heart pounding out of her chest.

"It makes me afraid because I mean I don't want our friendship to be ruined and you're my best friend but also I like this other boy in my class and I don't even know who you are and-and- oh just come here you stupid cat!" She said in a rush, kissing him suddenly. He was startled but quickly relaxed. He wrapped his arms around her and she wrapped her fingers in his hair, both melting into each other. It felt so right, so perfect, and Ladybug wished she had done this sooner. They stopped kissing soon, but just embraced one another in view of the Parisian skyline. For all the danger they faced, they felt completely safe with one another. After what felt like hours but was in reality just minutes, they let go of one another.

"So… how are you doing?" Ladybug said laughing, remembering what started this whole confusion of emotions.

"I'm doing pretty good considering I just kissed the most beautiful bug in all of Paris." Chat replied smoothly. "How are you?"

"I'm doing better now." She said smiling. At that moment, both of their Miraculouses beeped in unison. Chat looked confused when Ladybug went to leave.

"Wait why are you leaving?" He asked. Ladybug sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm still not ready to give up my identity yet. Trust me, you'll be disappointed when you find out anyway."

"No I won't! And you know I wouldn't tell anyone, don't you want to know who I am?" He asked in distress.

"More than anything in the world I want to know. But not yet Kitty, not yet…" Before he could reply, she swung her yo-yo and made her way back to the bakery. She de-transformed as soon as she landed on her bed, and sighed loudly.

"What have I gotten myself into Tikki?" She said, handing the little red bug a cookie from her purse.

"Only what all the other Ladybug's have." She replied biting into the cookie. Marinette looked at her in surprise.

"The other Ladybug's have fallen for Chat Noir?" Tikki nodded.

"Yep, almost every other time."

" _Almost_ every other time?"

"If I were to give it a percentage, I'd say about 98% of the time Ladybug and Chat Noir fall in love. I mean, one time Chat Noir was a girl's brother but they found out before anything could happen, that would've been awkward though! Another time Chat died early on-" Tikki stopped herself when she saw Marinette's face turn to distress.

"One of the Chat's died?!" Tikki sighed and chastised herself for saying that. "Tell me." Marinette demanded.

"You don't want-"

"Yes I do. Tell me." Tikki sighed again and chewed another piece of her cookie before answering.

"It was back in the early 1900's I'm pretty sure. Ladybug, her name was Antoinette, and Chat Noir were fighting someone. They didn't know it but he had a gun and shot Chat. Antoinette quickly defeated the man but it was too late for her healing magic, Chat had already died…" Tikki scrunched up her face, clearly remembering the painful memory all too well. "His mask disappeared and Antoinette saw he was her best friend since they were children, Maximus was his name. She continued being Ladybug but was filled with grief, and without her Chat she became careless and died in battle about a year later." Her tiny voice was downcast. Marinette instantly felt guilty for making Tikki relive the memory.

"I'm… I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay Mari. It's natural to be curious, and I don't mind talking about it. It just reminds me of how much pain Antoinette went through. It was only about three months after they had first started working together."

"Has Ladybug ever died in battle besides with Antoinette?"

"Ladybug can only die if Chat Noir is dead first, that's always how it works. So if Chat Noir is still alive Ladybug is safe because he will always die for her." She said in her high squeaky voice. Marinette sighed, not wanting to think about Chat dying. Instead she changed to a different subject.

"Tikki, which one was your favorite Ladybug?"

"That's a very hard question. I loved each one for different reasons. Though I suppose several did leave strong impressions on me. Genevieve for example was Ladybug during the French Revolution, in fact she was an integral part to the revolution's success. Louis was her Chat Noir, they fell in love as well. She was almost executed but Chat saved her! They made a great team." Tikki sighed dreamily.

"I wish I could've met them." Marinette said. She got ready to sleep and just as she was about to turn out the light, she asked Tikki one last question.

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Of course Marinette."

"Did all the Chat Noir's make puns?" The red bug laughed.

"Not all, but a surprising number of them did. They all had a very similar sense of humor." Smiling at this, Marinette turned out the light and went to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The next week flew by and soon it was opening night. Chat Noir and Ladybug hadn't patrolled since the night they kissed, but were scheduled to the day after the opening night of the play. Everyone was running around in a frenzy, hurrying to get last minute adjustments made as the audience filed in. Alya was frantic, trying to fix even the tiniest of problems. Nino was more relaxed as he sauntered his way around backstage.

Marinette walked out of the dressing room in the Ladybug costume at the same time Adrien walked out of his dressing room. She smiled at him and made her way over to talk.

"You nervous at all Mari?" He asked as she approached. She smiled, finding herself relaxed in his presence for once.

"A little bit but not really, I know we're gonna do great!" Adrien smiled back at her.

"I hope so, looks like we have a full house." He said, peeking out from behind the curtain. Marinette looked beside him and saw he was right, every single seat in the schools large theater was full. Adrien seemed as if he was looking for someone.

"Someone in particular you want to see?" Marinette asked. He hesitated and then answered.

"I want to see if my father is here. I don't think he would come but it'd be nice to see if he cared." He looked down sadly, clearly not seeing his father. Marinette sympathized with him. Then they both felt a pull on their collars and were forced back.

"What are you two doing?! You should be practicing your lines or something, don't let the audience see you!" Alya scolded them.

"Sorry! We just already know our lines and we were curious how many people were out there." Marinette said.

"We sold out in case you were wondering so you better be on your A-game alright!?" Alya yelled at them and walked away. Adrien and Marinette stood there like scolded children. Suddenly, a scream was heard from the outside the curtain. They both rushed forward and while peeking out they gasped at what they saw.

It was an akumatized villain who seemed to take a page from Medusa. A laser-type thing shot from her eyes, causing the victim to be turned to stone. Her dark tiny braids floated around her like snakes, and she laughed as the audience ran around screaming.

"I am Stone Cold Killer, and I will freeze all of you!" She announced, her low voice thundering throughout the room. She looked around and just before her gaze fell on Marinette and Adrien, they were pulled back again. It was Alya again, frowning.

"Are you stupid?! She's been akumatized which means she's after Ladybug and Chat Noir, who you both happen to be dressed up as right now! If she sees you she will turn you to stone, so you have to get out of here!" She said pushing them both toward the exit.

"Why don't we just change out of our costumes?" Adrien suggested.

"Yeah that's a better idea! That way we won't be targets!" Marinette seconded, needing a private area to transform in.

"There's no time, just both of you go to your bakery Marinette, you guys can change there." Alya continued pushing them out the door.

"What about you? Aren't you leaving too?" Marinette asked, suddenly worried for her friend.

"Not yet, everyone else needs to get out first and also Ladybug will show up here any minute, I need this for the Ladyblog!"

"Alya that's ridiculously dangerous!" Marinette chastised her.

"That's what being a journalist is Mari! Getting right in the danger! And don't worry, I'm good at hiding." She opened the door and pushed the two out. Right before she closed it Marinette interjected.

"Fine! But be safe okay?"

"I always am aren't I?" She winked and closed the door, with Adrien and Marinette being left outside. They both looked at one another, unsure of what to do next so Adrien took the lead.

"Let's get to your place but stick to the shadows, we don't want to attract too much attention." Marinette nodded and they began to stealthily make their way out of the alley they had been dumped in. Police cars were already gathering around the school along with news vans. Suddenly, a spotlight was struck right on the two teenagers.

"Look! It's Ladybug and Chat Noir! Hey guys, we need help over here!" A policeman shouted. Marinette panicked and tried to explain.

"No you have it wrong we-" Adrien interrupted with his denials as well.

"We aren't-"

"Certainly not-" Another scream cut off their explanations. The policeman looked at them expectantly.

"Are you going to help us or not?" Marinette quickly realized there wasn't a way out of this and decided to go with it. She winked at Adrien before speaking.

"Yes of course we will Officer, come on Chat." The policeman smiled and began leading them towards the school, and Marinette pleaded silently that the real Chat didn't show up now. Adrien was looking at her, clearly confused, but went along with it. They were lead to the Chief who gave them the rundown.

"She turns people to stone and calls herself Stone Cold Killer. None of our men can get close enough to take her down without being petrified! We don't know what to do!" The two looked at each other and Adrien spoke.

"We'll handle this, don't worry. But first may I speak to my Lady in private for a second?" The man nodded and he led her away, his strut and voice all perfectly imitating Chat Noir. He turned to her as soon as they were secluded. "What are you doing Marinette?! You-I mean we aren't Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Oblivious to the mistake he made, Marinette replied with as best of an excuse as she could.

"Yes but we look exactly like them! Maybe we can help keep her distracted until the real duo shows up!" She really just wanted to be able to hide for a second so she could transform, and couldn't do that with Adrien right by her side. "Adrien, Alya is in there and I don't feel right leaving her." She pleaded.

"You're right. We can't leave everyone in there, Nino's still there also. We have to help in some way."

"Then let's do this!" They high-fived and waltzed back to the Chief, and he opened the door for them. The room was littered with statues of frozen people, all with expressions of horror adorning their faces. It was like a creepy garden of death. And in the middle of it all was the floating woman. Stone Cold Killer turned around with an evil smile on her face as she saw them walking in, her eyes glowing red.

"Ah, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Just the heroes I was looking for. I hope you don't mind me crashing this little play in your honor, I wanted to have statues of both of you and I heard the two kids look just like you. I figured they would be suitable replacements until you showed up." She laughed.

"Leave these people alone, they never did anything to you." Marinette tried to reason.

"Oh but they did Ladybug. My sculpture garden got torn down today because it was deemed 'unsightly' by the neighborhood committee. And it was this neighborhood! Now they can all be my sculptures instead!" A laser shot out and Marinette and Adrien jumped out of the way just in time. Marinette wasn't used to acting as Ladybug without the enhanced speed and flexibility her transformation brought her, so she knew she had to transform soon. She just hoped Adrien could hold his own until Chat showed up.

Landing on opposite sides of the room, they jumped and leaped as lasers hit only centimeters from them, using the statues as crude cover. Marinette dove behind the curtain when Stone was turned to Adrien, and using her head start, ran into the dressing room seconds before Adrien got behind the curtain as well. Transforming, she stepped out and saw Adrien was nowhere to be seen, and assumed he ran been able to run out the exit again. She stepped back out to the stage, and saw Stone landing on the floor.

"Hello Stone Cold Killer, if you're looking for that girl dressed up as me she's gone now. If it's me you're looking for well then hello."

"What?! That was a teenager I was wasting my energy on? Ugh she really does look like you! No matter, now I have you here. But where did that damn cat go?" She said disgustedly.

"That cat was the other kid, the two decided to be kind and give us some extra time to get ready. It takes preparation to look as beautiful as I." Ladybug smiled when she heard the familiar voice and turned around to see Chat strolling towards her. "We should thank them for that later by the way." He said smiling.

"Yes we should, but let's take care of this first." She smiled back at him, feeling relieved to have her friend with her. They went to work, the duo already knowing the strategy they would use. Chat distracted Stone, dodging her attacks with ease and using the statues as cover again but purposefully getting close so she would stay on him. In the meantime, Ladybug prepared her angle and shot her yo-yo out, wrapping it around her leg and pulling it out from under her. She fell but floated back up, and turned around to shoot Ladybug. Ladybug jumped out of the way just in time, and was now the target for her attacks. The attacks came quicker, and she almost got hit several times. Chat tried grabbing Stone but she turned and he was an inch away from being hit. Suddenly an idea struck Ladybug.

"Chat! The rafters!" She pointed up to the beams above and Chat immediately knew what she wanted.

"Cataclysm!" He yelled, the ball of black energy appearing in his hand. Using her yo-yo, Ladybug flew up to one of the large beams and pulled Chat up as well. He touched a beam and it rusted, falling down on top of Stone. The crash was deafening and she was trapped underneath. She couldn't move her body but her head was still fine. She continued her assault on them, and they both had to jump down to avoid the shots. _We can't get close to her,_ Ladybug thought while bobbing and weaving.

"Lucky Charm!" She shouted, feeling the blast of radiance and joy as an item materialized from thin air. A spotted sleeping mask dropped into her hands.

"Oh this is too easy." She said smiling. Stone kept shooting and Ladybug dodged as she got closer. But then her foot caught on wires and Ladybug fell to the ground. Stone smiled and Ladybug prepared for the petrification, knowing she couldn't get up in time. The shot rang out but Ladybug shrieked when Chat Noir jumped in front of her, his body freezing into stone in midair, the thud off the statue hitting the ground thundering throughout the room. Luckily no pieces broke off, but the sound was terrifying all the same.

"NO!" She yelled, and Stone laughed.

"Come out from behind your tomcat, little bug. Or should I say your decoration?" Her voice was hard and mocking. Ladybug was angry now, and jumped out from behind the statue of Chat, dodging the lasers with no problem. She moved behind Stone's head, right where her eyes couldn't follow, and held the sleeping mask in preparation.

"No one turns my teammate into stone!" She yelled in anger, placing the sleeping mask over her eyes. Now harmless, Ladybug quickly found a small snake necklace around her neck, and smashed it with her foot. The black butterfly flew out, and using her yo-yo, purified it into a normal butterfly. She then took the sleeping mask off and threw it into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She proclaimed as healing magic sweeped through. All the stone was turned back into the person it was, the beam was fixed, and Chat Noir returned back to normal as well. And in Stone's place was a very puzzled looking and quite beautiful, woman.

"What am I doing here?" She asked, the chocolate skin around her eyes crinkling in confusion.

"You're fine, you kinda decided to crash a school play." Ladybug said smiling.

"Yeah you did, but let me say your sculptures are the cat's meow." Ladybug smiled as her heart leaped, and turning around immediately squeezed Chat in relief. And then, without thinking, she kissed him, much to his surprise. The act was greeted with a round of applause from the now unfrozen audience, but the two ignored them. She was just so happy to have him back, having been paranoid something might've gone wrong with her healing magic. Then she heard the all too familiar beeping of both their Miraculouses, and together they quickly made their way out the door and onto a nearby rooftop, with the police outside applauding them as well.

"Well that kiss was a pleasant surprise m'Lady." Chat said as they overlooked the city.

"I knew that after using the healing magic you would be fine, but I was still paranoid that something would happen." Ladybug said, thinking of the story of Antoinette and Maximus.

"Don't worry, I'll always be around to protect you." He said gently, putting his arm around her shoulders. His voice reminded her of a certain someone, and she remembered something that had slipped her mind.

"Oh no! I forgot about Adrien!" She said, more loudly than she meant to. Chat looked at her, startled.

"Whose Adrien?" He asked in a stressed tone.

"This boy who was with me before I transformed, I completely left him! I need to see if he's okay!" Chat's eyes widened at this, but he quickly shook himself back to normal.

"You better go check on him then. Don't worry, we'll see each other tomorrow." He said smiling. She smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek, and as her earrings beeped again she yo-yoed back to the school. De-transforming quickly, she took her hair out of her pigtails to make it clear she _wasn't_ Ladybug. Then she ran inside the school building and looked around. Alya spotted her immediately and ran over.

"Marinette! There you are! You won't believe it but I was able to film _everything_ during the fight, no one saw me once! And when you and Adrien were pretending to be the actual Ladybug and Chat Noir I was trying not to give my hideout away by laughing!"

"Alya! Where's Adrien? He and I got separated!" Before Alya could answer a familiar voice came from behind.

"I'm here! Oh Marinette you're okay. Where did you go? You ducked behind the curtain and totally disappeared." Something in his voice was off but Marinette ignored it. He was still in the costume, but the ears and mask had been taken off.

"I ran out the back door as fast as I could, I thought you were right behind me! It wasn't until I was a block away did I realize you weren't with me so I started freaking out. I just got back now." She said, rushing her words to make the lie sound more realistic. She jumped a little when he hugged her suddenly, but she quickly relaxed. He stepped back though, awkward about what he had just done. Alya was smiling cheekily.

"It's a good thing you're both safe. So Alya, what's this video you have?" He said, his voice still hiding something. The rest of the night was a blur as Alya gushed about how awesome the video would be on the Ladyblog and how the kiss between the superheroes was movie perfect. The play's opening night was rescheduled for the next day, with Alya joking that Adrien and Marinette had had the ultimate acting test that day.

That night as Marinette was getting ready for bed, wearing pink spotted pajamas and brushing out her wet hair, she was startled when she heard a knock on her door to the roof. Opening it, she saw it was Chat Noir sitting on her terrace.

"Hello Princess, how are you this fine evening?" He said in a suave voice.

"I'm fine. Why are you here Chat?" She said, instantly wary.

"Oh I'm just here to thank you for giving me and Ladybug extra time to arrive by keeping Stone Cold Killer busy. You did a great job acting like Ladybug by the way, I saw that video on that popular Ladyblog. You sounded and looked just like her." Something about his tone was off, he was lying about something. She stepped out onto the terrace and stood in front of him.

"Yeah I keep getting comments about that, I don't know I never thought we looked that much alike." Marinette said, trying to play cool.

"I didn't think that either till I saw the video…" He said, swinging his tail. Marinette knew something was up and decided to address it directly.

"Cut to the chase, we both know you're not just here to thank me and comment about how I look like Ladybug." She said sharply, causing laughter from the cat.

"Wow looks like the claws are out! No, you're right I'm not just here for that. The thing is, Ladybug told me something right before she left tonight, and I can't get it out of my head." Marinette's eyes widened with fear as she realized how careless her words had been.

"You see, she said she was with a boy named Adrien right before she transformed. And I happen to know Adrien Agreste, and he told me he was with you in the auditorium pretending to be me and Ladybug, and then you disappeared…" He looked at her expectantly and Marinette immediately realized she was trapped and couldn't lie her way out of this one. Even though she had decided to reveal her identity to Chat the next night, she was angry he had figured it out on his own.

"Dangit you stupid cat! I was going to tell you tomorrow night on our patrol!" She exclaimed angrily, trying to keep her voice down since they were outside. He smiled when he realized he was right, and immediately embraced her in his arms, laughing.

"Sorry m'Lady, I should've waited." He said still laughing. "I guess now I should-"

"No." He looked shocked when she interrupted him. "Before you ask yes I want to know who you are, but since you figured it out before I could tell you, I want to figure it out myself. I'm right in assuming we know each other?" He nodded. "And am I right in assuming we go to the same school?" He nodded again. "Are we in the same class?" He nodded again and her heart skipped a beat realizing he had been so close to her this whole time. "Then this should be easy to figure out. If I don't figure it out by the end of our patrol tomorrow, then you can tell me."

"Giving yourself a time limit bugaboo?" She frowned at the nickname.

"Yes because if I can't figure it out in a day then I'll never figure it out on my own." She said, still frowning. He laughed again and kissed her, and she could tell he was relishing kissing her for the first time while knowing who she was. She pulled away and put his face in her hands. "Now go you silly Kitty, I have thinking to do." He smiled and jumped away, disappearing into the skyline. She climbed back down and explained to Tikki what happened, who laughed and reassured her that she'd figure it out. Suddenly exhausted, Marinette fell asleep quickly that night.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day at school, Marinette observed every boy extra carefully. As they were all sitting down, she looked at each one and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Alya noticed her observance.

"Looking for someone?" She asked teasingly.

"No! No I'm just wondering… what if someone in our class is Ladybug or Chat Noir?"

"If they were I would've found out by now, trust me I've done enough research to determine we don't know either of them." Alya was so positive, Marinette had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling.

"Yeah you're right. I bet they're not even teenagers." Marinette said casually. Just then Adrien walked in and waved at the both of them, Marinette blushed and waved back. He sat and turned around to talk to them.

"You guys okay after yesterday? That was some pretty scary stuff being in the same room with a supervillain." He seemed genuinely concerned which Marinette found touching.

"I'm better than okay! That video I got has gotten so many hits on the Ladyblog! I've gotten at least 500 more readers now!" Alya exclaimed ecstatically.

"Congrats!" Marinette and Adrien both said.

"So don't forget the play is still on for tonight, but I doubt you guys will have any problems!" Alya said. Marinette gasped, having forgotten about that. Just then the school day started and they all had to be quiet. Marinette couldn't concentrate though, and kept looking around for her cat. No one seemed to be acting strange at all, making it utterly impossible for Marinette to figure it out. She could ask Adrien who he told, because she knew he told Chat Noir-

Wait a minute! Marinette had an epiphany and had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming. She looked at Adrien and he looked back having heard her gasp, smiled slightly and winked when he saw her expression. She looked on his hand and sure enough there was a silver ring on the same finger Chat always had his Miraculous. All the puzzle pieces fell into place and Marinette couldn't believe she'd been so stupid! He had looked and sounded just like Chat Noir and even disappeared around the same time she had transformed. Even the problems with his father made sense now, she had heard Adrien complain about his father before! She couldn't contain her excitement and waited eagerly for the bell to ring.

Eventually lunchtime came and she immediately looked to Adrien with a smirk and he smiled back, and without words he followed her to a secluded area outside the building. Alya and Nino watched with interest at the wordless exchange. Once hidden, Marinette let out the laughter she'd been holding in and hugged him, and he quickly returned the embrace.

"You damn cat!" She whispered to him.

"Hello m'Lady, thank goodness you figured it out, I was gonna start dropping hints." He said laughing as well.

"We've been so stupid this whole time, not realizing we were sitting only a few feet away from each other." Marinette said grinning, unable to contain her joy at having found her Chat.

"Yeah I felt pretty dumb when you made that comment last night." He was smiling as widely as she was.

"Well we figured it out now. And we're both playing ourselves in the play tonight, how ironic is that?" She said.

"And I get to kiss you again." Adrien said in his Chat Noir voice.

"Who says you don't get to kiss me right now?" Marinette replied flirtily. They both leaned in and kissed, and Marinette knew why Chat had savored that first kiss last night. It felt so amazing once you knew who was on the other side of the mask. Marinette's heart fluttered and the kiss deepened, lasting longer than all their others. Little did the couple know, that as they were kissing, Nino and Alya had been watching out of earshot with interest and giggles.

"Told ya they'd end up together before the play dude!" Nino whispered to her.

"You still technically were wrong since opening night was last night." Alya reminded him, smiling with joy for her best friend.

"But that's only a technicality! I still won!" Nino insisted. Turning away from the corner, Alya turned to him and stood closer.

"I'm pretty sure I won." She whispered, leaning in flirtatiously. The two kissed as well, having been dating secretly for a little while now.

Marinette brought Adrien to the bakery for lunch, and the two had quiches on the terrace which Adrien devoured. Marinette's parents remembered Adrien from the gaming tournament, and gladly distracted him while Marinette took down all her posters of him in her room. They were glad to see Marinette so happy. Since the two were alone, Adrien and Marinette had conversation about their alter egos.

"But seriously, why the cat puns?" Marinette asked.

"Because I'm a _cat_! Plus cat puns are-"

"Don't say it!" Marinette warned.

"Pawsome!" Adrien said cheekily. Marinette punched him jokingly in the arm.

"But seriously, you never say puns at school. In fact you act like a completely different person as Chat." She commented. "Why is that?"

"Well… my father controls so much of my life that I have to be totally compliant and obedient, that was part of the deal for me going to public school. Being Chat Noir is when I can be truly myself." He said honestly, the mood suddenly gloomy. Marinette felt bad for making him sad, and put her hand on his.

"I'm sorry, it must be awful to have a father that controlling." She said.

"It's fine, it's not your fault. Plus you are the only person who knows exactly who I am so that's cool." He said smiling.

"Yes I get to hear those awful puns all the time, lucky me." She said jokingly, smiling sweetly.

"You wound me with your harsh words m'Lady!" He said, channeling Chat.

"You ridiculous kitty!" She said, kissing him lightly. It all seemed so natural again, and Marinette wondered why. Suddenly they heard a noise from Adrien's bag, and Plagg emerged with a piece of cheese.

"Oh my gosh you two are so cute it makes me wanna vomit!" He said, fake gagging. Marinette stared at the odd creature, having only had experience with kwamis with Tikki. Adrien noticed the confusion.

"This is Plagg, my kwami." He explained. Tikki decided to emerge at that moment, a cookie in her hand.

"And this is Tikki, _my_ kwami." Marinette said in way of introduction.

"Hi Adrien, hi Plagg." Tikki's voice became visibly more strained when she said hi to Plagg, obviously annoyed by the messy tiny cat creature.

"Oh hey Tikki! Haven't seen you in like a decade!"

" _Two_ decades actually, thank goodness." Tikki replied, muttering the last part.

"Who were we with then? Mae and Damien right?" Plagg asked. "Oh they were a funny story, you two think you had it interesting? Well _they_ were actually ex-boyfriend and girlfriend! And they fell in love as most Ladybug and Chat Noir's do, and it was so awkward when they found out each other's identity!" Plagg said. The couple just laughed at the silly creatures and went back to kissing.

Marinette stood behind the curtain, breathing heavily with nervousness, waiting to go on the stage. She gulped and felt someone take her hand, and smiled at Adrien when she saw it was him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you an original work of our drama club… The Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir!" The announcer declared, sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheers. The curtain rose revealing Ladybug and Chat Noir, who smirked at one another and played their roles perfectly. They acted beautifully, defeating Chloe the 'akuma' all while stealing knowing glances at one another. Then the time came to de-evilize the fake butterfly. Catching it with her yo-yo, Marinette said the all too familiar words.

"Bye-bye little butterfly." She waved goodbye at the 'butterfly' and turned back to Adrien. "I thought I'd lost you back there."

"You'll never lose me, I'm never leaving you my Lady."

"I don't know what I'd do without you…"

"And I don't know what I'd do without you…" They leaned in and exchanged another knowing look, both smirking at the irony of the situation, and kissed to a standing ovation.


End file.
